God doesn't want me to have a good New Year's Eve

I went camping this New Year's Eve. I had this whole romantical idea that I would ring in the new year under the stars.  That sort of worked out and sort of didn't.  I did enjoy eating my dinner by the lantern and then sitting by the campfire. That part was awesome.  And I had left my tent open, not put on the rain fly because I could see the stars.  You can see a lot of stars in Texas.  Then... the wind started to blow. And blow. AND BLOW.  I don't like wind.  It creeps me out. I don't like the noise. I don't like the feeling of it. I don't like wind. (I know I am now living in a plains state, what the hell was I thinking?).  So I ended up going to bed early. That was fine. At midnight there was a loud ruckus so I at least woke up to ring in the new year. But then I had to get up and put the rainfly on the tent because I was also FREEZING.  Got home around lunch time today and proceeded to take a 5 hour nap. I will post photos later. I toook a bunch! It was super pretty there.

BlogHer - The good, the bad and the hmm...

I've been to BlogHer twice as an attendee and once as just a groupie hanging out and trying to crash parties. (I'd never been to Chicago, BlogHer provided me a way to hang out with my pals and visit ChiTown).
This year BlogHer was in San Diego.  Since it has been over 100 degrees here forevfuckingever that was the nicest thing possible.  When I landed in San Diego and stepped out at the airport I felt a wave of nostalgia. The air smelled like the ocean. (Not that Camarillo smelled like the ocean but it was very close to the ocean).  It made me miss California.  And Seattle. And anyplace that isn't Texas, but that's another story. 

I really liked hanging out with Michelle, Katey, Laura, Amy, Leslie and Karla.  It is good to hang out with people, some of whom I know and some of whom were new to me.  I really liked the food they served.  I was thrilled with clearly labelled gluten-free options.  It was AWESOME.  I liked the swag.  It is not hard to like swag. :) I liked the parties.  I like parties.  I liked the session I attended. Sadly I only attended one.

There wasn't anything really bad about the trip. I feel like the hotel is kind of pricey and since they didn't do room drops this year, I would have been okay going to a cheaper hotel. (Michelle probably wouldn't have been though).  I didn't like how spread out things were which required what felt like a long walk.  I wish there had been more sessions I was interested in, but I know they can't please everyone.  The ONE session I was interested in, I didn't make it to because I had to finish homework for my class.  (which I got a 12.5 out of 12.5 on by the way). 

The Hmm... The real hmm is do I go back?  Next year it is New York City again.  I feel like NYC was much more expensive than Chicago and San Diego.  I don't think the hotel was only $199/night.  And I'm just not sure.  I'm not sure what I get out of it besides free stuff (which if you add up hotel, airfare etc isn't actually free per se) and hanging out with my friends.  Now, it'll cost to have a girls weekend anyway and with BlogHer at least I get breakfast and lunch paid for as part of my ticket. :)  (as well as parties and drinking in the evening).  So far in two years I think I've attended MAYBE 3 sessions (I think only 2 actually and one Michelle was on the panel and the other I just went with Michelle).  I know if I don't go, I'll feel left out since many of the girls are going again next year. And I can go and hang with Katey who doesn't go to the sessions either.  We could do touristy things. (if she goes I think she's on the fence too).  I dunno. I can't think that far ahead.

Ho ho ho

I am finding myself full of the Christmas spirit lately.  Like I want to decorate my balcony and put up my tree AND I was even thinking of getting a real live tree this year! (I love live trees!) Currently I am downloading all my holiday cds into itunes so I can make a holiday play list for work. This is unlike me.  I haven't put up a Christmas tree since 2003 or 2004. I don't believe in the "reason for the season." 

My sister is coming in December and we're going to do our own little Christmas the weekend before Christmas.  I'm TOTALLY excited about going to CA over Thanksgiving.  Totally ready for a few days away from work.  There's a lot of excitement around me.  Yay! :)

Traveling Debacle

If I were one of those people who believed in "signs" or "the universe telling me something" I totally wouldn't have made it to BlogHer in NYC this past weekend.  

1. I had to gate check my suitcase.  I gate checked it all the way to JFK.
2. Weather closed the Charlotte airport.  It eventually reopened and we landed but my JFK flight had already left.
3. This is midnight and there aren't really any other flights going to the NYC area so I check into a Quality Inn for a whopping 3 hours to get some sleep... with no clothes since my bag got gate checked.
1. The irony (is it irony? maybe Murphy's Law) was that I actually contemplated pulling out a clean undies, toothbrush and toothpaste and a clean shirt when I discovered I had to check my bag but decided not to because I was the 3rd to the last on board and the line was actually moving down the jetway.
4. The next day I get to Charlotte.  It is too early for any place for food to be open and I spend so much time trying to figure out my next move it becomes too late to try to get food.
5. Miss my first La Guardia flight.  Discover that the 2nd La Guardia flight had a TON of seats open so I didn't have to worry about getting on that one. 
6. Headed down to luggage to see if it would be at all possible to get my luggage shifted to La Guardia so I don't have to go to both airports.  Don't hold your breath I'm told.
7. At La Guardia we have to circle the airport for 20 minutes because they are reconfiguring the runways.  I don't even know what that means but I could have cried.
8. Here's where the weekend gets saved... I get the next La Guardia flight and even better - Luggage makes it! I had the luggage lady scan my tag to see if I should even bother waiting and it was there! I could have cried with joy.  And I might have told the luggage lady I loved her.  It was a heat of the moment thing. :)

So far so good...

Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon.

It is day 2ish (well technically I've been here a day and a half) and we are all still alive. My sister has a new kitten. My parents (in a weird move) brought their two cats with them AZ. My sister has a dog. The cats don't exactly get along, but they're getting over it. They are all unified in their hate of the dog. (Currently Jack, the kitten, is playing with a toy under the table I'm sitting at. Sweetums, big cat, is sitting on the table and growling so hard at Jack I can feel the table vibrating through the computer.)

We're making New York Cheesecake for my mom and niece tomorrow. (Kayla's birthday was last week and my mom's is tomorrow.) We'll also make the cake balls. I got everything we needed to make them from Wal-Mart. I do not love the Wal Mart, but it was useful in this situation.

Since my sister and I have had control of the remote, I have not been subject to hours of Tru TV's "Most shocking" shows.

On Monday through Wednesday, we go to Savannah. I'm pretty excited about that. We made reservations for a haunted pub crawl and a tour in a hearse. How fun! Also, just to support my nerdishness, we're going to the Girl Scout birthplace. I will have to do some more planning to know where else to go so we don't get caught unawares.

We get back sometime Wednesday afternoon and I leave on Friday evening. Nice easy trip.

A tale of insanity

Once upon a time, Michelle and I were sane, rational people who did enjoy the holiday known as Black Friday and would be up to shop at about 4 AM. We made it a point to not go to Best Buy because that place is just madness. Madness I say! This year, those sane, rational people were replaced by lunatics. This year... we braved Best Buy. Starting at 8:30 on Thanksgiving night Michelle and I were camped out at Best Buy. There were about 30 people ahead of us in line which we figured gave us pretty decent odds at getting what we were looking for. I wanted a cheap cheap laptop and Michelle had her eyes set on a netbook.

Armed with a kindle each, blankets, some snacks and my Nintendo, we braved the California cold and set up our chairs for the long winter's night. At about 11:30ish I started to doze off. I can sleep anywhere apparently. I was just at that place between awake and asleep when some jackhole drove by in his big truck and honked his big truck horn loudly. I jumped out of my chair and when the nice young man behind me asked how I was doing I assured him I was fine and went about arranging my blankets as though THAT was what I was doing.

At midnight we got cold. Really cold. Michelle went home for more blankets. She came back with what must have been every blanket in their house: 2 quilts, more afghans, jackets and mittens. Warm and toasty I know I dozed off for like 2 hours. I think she did too. I woke up at about 3 when things were starting to shuffle around. We did our shopping. Michelle got her netbook and I did not get my laptop. (That's okay my mom picked one up for me at Staples so it all worked out in the end... the advantage of tiny town life). We did the rest of our shopping and were done by around 11.

The problem with the all night Best Buy adventure reared its ugly head later. We got home about 11ish and almost immediately fell asleep. I think I slept until like 3 and was pretty much wiped out the rest of the day.

The rest of the visit was good. Michelle's kids Kay and Oh are so big. Kay cracked me up most of the weekend, however I could tell I'm totally used to living by myself because Kay would sing. And initially I was fine with it but the longer she would sing the more I would cringe. Michelle pointed out that eventually you tune it out.

Could be a bad luck sign...

So I left work early today and hopped on multiple buses and the light rail to catch a 5:45 flight to Vegas to join my sister. At 5:30 pm I found myself walking back out to the buses to come back into Seattle.

Since I fly stand by non-rev, basically anybody gets on before I do. I was waiting and waiting and waiting and finally it seemed like everyone was on who was supposed to be on. I'm going to barely make it I thought and then he came... Professional looking dude in suit and tie. I think he was supposed to be on the delayed Phoenix flight and managed to get changed over to the Vegas flight. Seriously I'm pretty sure they were about to print my ticket and he took it. I could have cried.

So the question is... do I even bother gambling in Vegas because obviously there's no luck with me these days, OR do I gamble in Vegas because after that bad luck I should be due some good luck? :)

(I don't really believe in any karmic luck. Things happen irrespective of other things. But it is sometimes fun to pretend. Also Good Luck Care Bear is going in my purse. :) )

Invoking Murphy

I'm planning my trip to CA for Thanksgiving. I'm excited to go. K remembers me apparently and sometimes talks about me so I want to get back and hang out with her. OH and see Michelle and shop. :) I've decided to buy my ticket sometime this week (I think).

I've got a theory... Given that Murphy's Law is a big influence in my world, I've decided that if I buy a ticket from Seattle to Burbank (or LAX?) leaving on Wednesday afternoon and returning on Sunday I'll get a new job offer which will cause me to either have already moved or have to spend Thanksgiving weekend finalizing a move. Either that, or I'll get a pretty good rate for my flight and that'll be just dandy. (I'm seriously hoping beyond all hope it will be the former. :) )

Unrelated to anything else, I just cooked lemon chicken and I added sweet chili sauce. I don't know why I thought it wouldn't make it super sweet, but it is a bit more sweet than I expected. The spicyness is just right, though. Next time leave out a little sugar and it will be dandy I think.

Could, Should, Will

Could: So we have a 3 day weekend coming up. I like to sit here and dream about what I could do that weekend. Fly down to Mexico. Train up to Vancouver. Go to Astoria and hang out on the coast of Oregon. (Ok probably not that one because hotels in Astoria are EXPENSIVE) I could go camping. Haven't been in awhile. It might be nice just to rent a car and spend the weekend camping. (Although camping is always more expensive than you think it will be)

Should: I should clean and work on sorting and packing. A three day weekend is ideal for this. I have stuff in storage to sort through. I have to clean. I can begin boxing things to get rid of them or to put into storage until I'm ready to move. I don't need all my bric a brac out or all my books and all that. (Or really I can get rid of things and throw things away and clean which is great and needs to happen.) I know I'm not moving yet, but I am going to move. Come hell or high water I'm moving somewhere...

Will: However given option a and b I think I can safely guess what will probably happen. I'll do nothing. There'll be some trashy marathon of some show I didn't know I loved like Burn Notice or Law & Order SVU or Lifetime TV movies and I'll spend the weekend slack jawed and slightly drooling whilst I watch trashy tv.

John Vogt sat in the wrong seat...

And other adventures in flying today:

So I've seen more famous people being out and about at the Burbank airport than I've seen anywhere else. (not that that's saying a lot. I have only ever seen Heather Lock lear in public doing normal people things). Today it was John Vogt. He was actually on my flight from Burbank to Phoenix. I wasn't sure it was him at first but he was literally right behind me as I was getting on the plane and I heard him on his cell phone. It was totally his voice. So I'm sitting on the plane watching him, since I'm about 4 or 5 rows behind him, and I'm apparently a stalker (I don't actually think it is stalking if I happen to randomly see someone famous on the plane actually) when first this woman gets on and sits next to him but then she goes to the back of the plane. Whilst she is gone another guy gets on the plane and takes her spot. She comes back and a discussion ensues and that's when John Voigt discovered he was actually in the wrong row. Hee.

So my next flight, it was REALLY empty. I'm in an aisle seat and this fairly youngish guy is on the window seat. After we've taken off I glance over to look out the window and notice he's watching something on his iPod. I look and realize he's watching p0rn on his iPod. P0RN! Seriously, dude? It's a 2.5 hour flight and you can't go without for that length of time. So once we're given the go ahead to begin moving about the cabin (because you can turn the electronics on before you can stand up) he and the iPod go to the bathroom. Ew. Ew. Ew. So during this 2.5 hour flight, he gets up no fewer than 5 times to go to the bathroom. Sometimes he brought the iPod sometimes he didn't. I kind of thought he might have actually been doing drugs in the bathroom, but I didn't really know. In any event he annoyed me greatly. By the 4th time he got up I kind of wanted to punch him.

In related news, the kiddos are very very cute. Tenna (as she calls herself) cracked my shit up. I spent the very short period of time being called Joyanne, Jordanne, Jodanne, and any other variation of Joanne you can imagine. That baby, Olivia, is a very good baby. I held her for a little while today before I left. It is not my favorite thing... holding little babies. They kind of freak me out.

Warning: This post may contain disclaimers

So one of the things I did whilst in Chicago was drag Kate the Peon to the zoo. I think we had a pretty good time. One of the funniest things about the zoo to me, though, was the number of disclaimers. It was as though they wanted to be sure the public knew that they were well aware of every little thing wrong in each animal's habitat. In the Penguin exhibit, there was a disclaimer about a penguin who had trouble molting and some of the feathers hadn't come in. At the hippo exhibit, apparently the hippos were being introduced for potential mating possibilities and were a little like a typical chick flick. They hated each other on sight. So there's a disclaimer stating that the hippos may have some cuts and scrapes but that's due to their introduction for breeding. I'm sure that just like that Heigel chick and the oh so yummy Gerard Butler, they'll end up madly in love. There was one about some facial reconstruction surgery that one of the animals had... basically saying "yes we know its nose is deformed now move along." It was both hysterical and horribly sad. Horribly sad because you know they only have all those disclaimers because someone has reported to them x, y or z.

Meltdown!

I made a little girl (about 2) have a meltdown yesterday on the plane ride home. Her parents were in their seats when I boarded. As I was one of the last ones to board I think they thought they were home free and could use the extra seat for the daughter. Not so much, sadly for them. I took my seat and the little girl FREAKED out. She screamed. She wailed. She cried. She roared her terrible roars. She gnashed her terrible teeth. She kept plaintively wailing about her seat. "Seat!" "Seat!" she kept saying. She kept wriggling out of her mom's arms and puddling on the floor in a heap. I felt really badly but the plane was packed to the gills. As it was I think a US Air employee took a jump seat (the seats the flight attendants sit in) instead of taking a real seat. Finally she cried herself to sleep and proceeded to sleep the entire 4 hours to Vegas. The father commented she'd never done that before and pondered if it was a possible indicator of the future. :)

More photos are up!

So I've added still more photos to the Ireland set on Flickr. I just keep adding to the end of the list. Now Cork and Galway are up. Last will be Belfast, but I actually have to finish editing them. (And sadly, I haven't edited most of them anyway. I just pick out the ones I like best.

Here's a few samples. :)

Blarney Castle

Druid's Cave at Blarney Castle Grounds

My feet in the sea at Inishmore

Cross at Corcomroe Abbey

I want more!

I've posted more photos up on flickr. I'm now through Kilkenny which was where we were on the 20th through the 22nd.

Here are a few:

River Nore
Kilkenny Castle

Me!

We'll take some lovely Photos!

So I've started uploading the photos to Flickr. I could do them here, but that's becoming too much work. Here's the start of them. There'll be more added sooner or later. I've put descriptions with most of them. I'll also probably post a few to Facebook.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

My luggage has been found! I was about to post a whole diatribe about how I was starting to get a bit worried when my cell phone rang. It died immediately because the battery was low but I went online and my luggage has appeared. Yay! Now I have to go get it. I think I'll flexcar it. :)

I have a whopping 10 min left. :)

So today we were in Northern Ireland which is its own separate country. (Well it is part of the UK or something I don't really get it and honestly at this moment I don't care enough to look up exactly how the relationship works but they do use pounds just like England does). We crossed over yesterday on the train and when we got off the train we couldn't find anyone to stamp our passports (did I already talk about this? I feel like I might have). I asked the guy at the ticket window and he said we didn't need to. I double checked and said I was from the US but nope didn't need to. Weird that.

Today we took another tour. Unlike Matty's and my fateful tour a way back when, this tour was not populated entirely with old people with a vendetta. Today we went up to the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick a Rede Rope bridge. The wind was blowing too much for us to go on to the bridge. I have a photo. I'll post it when I get back. It will illustrate the level of the wind. Otherwise the Carrick a Rede area was pretty. The Giant's Causeway, though, AMAZING. Seriously. Honestly. I have photos. I'll post them. :) But really, do yourself a favor if you ever come up here, visit the Giant's Causeway. It took me a day to figure out why Northern Irelander's accents are so different than Ireland accents... Scottish. There is definitely a Scottish bit to the accent. Also they use wee a lot which Ireland does not do. However if you watched the amazingly quality filum (films are always 2 syllables and pronounced fil-um) Charlies Angels #2 which had the hot Irish guy who was trying to kill Drew Barrymore... he had a Northern accent. Whilst in the Aran Islands we discovered the movie Leap Year is being filumed there sometime in the semi-near future. I'll have to check that out when it comes out.

We had crappy dinner tonight of hotel food because after climbing up hill and down dale we were wiped out. Tomorrow we head back to Dublin where we will shop a wee bit and then fly home on Sunday. Something fun to cause a bit of trouble on Sunday... daylight savings time. They start it Sat night/ Sunday am. I wouldn't have known if the tour driver today hadn't mentioned it. Glad he did... would've sucked to get to the airport an hour late.

4 min 33 seconds to post...

We're in Belfast today and until Saturday when we return to Dublin and fly out Sunday morning. It was weird travelling into Belfast, they didn't stamp our passport when entering. Apparently they don't need to. I'm not sure what'll happen when we leave to go back to Ireland. They only stamped our passport until 3/25 (whoops we were there until 3/26) because I told him we'd be travelling into Northern Ireland and then returning on the 28th. He said we'd get it stamped coming back. I dunno. There didn't seem to be a customs place in the train station. Maybe they do it on the train.



While I'm having a great time, I'm kind of getting ready to come home. I'm sick of spending money (and oh how I have spent!). I'm tired of living in a suit case and travelling every couple of days. I want to sleep in MY Bed on MY sheets and by myself. :) Two weeks is a LONG vacation. I'm not sure I could do it again.



(Also if I paid 2£ for this internet connection, I should be able to see the screen full screen instead of mostly covered in ads.)

I have 5 min and 22 seconds...

So here's my latest addiction... logging into my work email. I'm on vacay. Why do I keep doing it? why can't I stop it?

We're heading to the Aran Island of Insh Mor (I'm fairly certain I've misspelled that) today. Should be a fun all day adventure. We're going by ferry, which my coworker says can flip upside down! Eek! Oh crap it is 8:30. gotta run anyway.

I have less than 4 minutes to post this

Today we're in Galway. It is really pretty here. We went on another tour around the Burren, Cliffs of Moher and into Aillwee caves. Very cool all of it. I'll be sad to leave. Tomorrow we're heading to the Aran Islands via ferry. Whee! Hard to believe only about 4 more days here. :( I have filled up 2 gigs worth of card on my camear. That's a lot of photos. I should probably weed out the unfocused ones before I even try to upload to my home computer.

Phew... finished with 2 min 23 seconds left on my 2 euro computer use. :)